


The Exception

by The_last_moon_child



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper are best friends, Bisexual Archie Andrews, Boys In Love, F/F, Hurt Jughead Jones, Jarchie - Freeform, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Jughead Jones and Toni Topaz are best friends, Jughead Jones is Not Asexual, Jughead Jones is a serpent, Love, M/M, Protective Archie Andrews, Romeo and Juliet References, Toni Topaz is a Good Friend, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 19:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13371168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_last_moon_child/pseuds/The_last_moon_child
Summary: "Romeo and Juliet are the exception, not the rule."***The south side serpents, aka the ones who are always depicted as the bad guys. The residents of Riverdale are taught to fear them, along with all of the other gangs that inhabit the small town.Archie Andrews, Riverdale's very own golden boy, always followed the rules, that is until the day he met a seemingly innocent boy with a head of thick black hair. The two instantly form a connection, which turns into something more.But there's only one problem...Jughead Jones, the outsider with a passion for reading and writing, is a serpent. But he is willing to drop everything to be by Archie's side.However, the other gangs around town aren't as soft and are not too happy when they find out about this forbidden romance, and neither is the rest of the town.Will Archie and Jughead's love be enough to protect themselves against the war that they have just fueled? Or will society get the better of them?





	1. ~Prologue~

◇◆◇◆

Two households, both alike in dignity,  
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.  
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes  
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;  
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows  
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.  
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,  
And the continuance of their parents' rage,  
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,  
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;  
The which if you with patient ears attend,  
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

◇◆◇◆


	2. ~"I'm completely alone, and I probably always will be."~

◇◆◇◆

"Seriously, Jughead?" Toni exclaimed as she leaned over her best friend, who was unsurprisingly sitting down in a corner by himself reading, snatching his book from his hands. "How many times can you read the same book?"

"It's not just a book!" Jughead told her, standing up and taking back his possession with one quick swipe. "It's a play script, so there!"

"Fine." The pink haired girl smiled playfully. "You win this time, Jones. Now come on, we're leaving."

"Already?"

"What do you mean 'already'? It's been two hours, Jug!" Toni said, already handing Jughead his bag and starting to leave without him. "You asked me if you could wait out here while I finished developing my photos, and I said yes. And now that I'm done we're going back home, so come on!"

Jughead moaned like a reluctant child, making it clear that he wasn't too hooked on the idea of leaving this particular corridor of southside high. Not that there was anything that special about it, he just wanted to keep reading. "How about you go and I catch up later?"

"Yeah, nice try! I'm not leaving you here by yourself, especially at this time of night. Jeez, it's like you're practically asking to be beaten up by the ghoulies!" Toni wasn't going to wait for him any longer, so she took his hand in hers and lead him out of the building with her. "Besides, you can finish reading Romeo and Juliet for the 1000th time when we get home. Deal?"

"Fine..." Jughead finally agreed, following Toni out. Even though he was never going to admit it to her, she was right. Staying out here by yourself, unarmed, was practically a death wish, especially for someone like him.

Jughead was a serpent by blood. He got it from his father, F.P. Jones, one of the most notorious serpents to date, and undoubtedly hated by almost everyone. Jughead only really had his father when he was growing up since his mother and his sister left when he was much younger after they discovered what his dad did for a living. Despite having serpent blood causing through his veins, he had never really taken much notice of it and preferred to just be a loner rather than hang out with any of his apparent "family". Of course, this made him an easy target for other gangs such as the ghoulies, who took that advantage and continually beat him up, spraypaint things about him on the walls of the school, and basically just make his life a living hell, full of pain and humiliation. Despite all of this, he still refused to hang out with the other serpents, causing many of them to give up on him entirely. In fact, the only one who had stayed by his side was Toni Topaz, who had been his friend for years and had been there with him through thick and thin. No matter what happened, she was always there for him. It even got to the point where she lived with him, often crashing on the couch since Jughead's dad was rarely home.

The two walked along the snow-covered streets, clinging to their jackets in order to not let any cold air in until they finally reached the small white trailer that they both referred to as home. The door was unlocked as always, so they just let themselves in, Toni immediately making her way towards the fridge, and Jughead taking his usual spot on the left side of the couch to continue his book.

"Hey, Jug?" Toni called from the other side of the room. "What's available to eat around here?"

"There's the pizza from last night," Jughead answered, not even removing his eyes from the page. "And don't touch anything that's in a pop's takeout bag, because it's mine."

"Okay, don't worry, I'm not going to steal your lover away from you." Toni joked, taking out the half-eaten pizza and taking her usual spot next to Jughead, not too surprised when he didn't put his book down. "What do you find so interesting about that book anyway?" She asked.

"I don't really know... I guess I just like reading it to escape from the real world and put myself in this fantasy where true love actually exists."

Toni sighed. Jughead was a hopeless romantic, he always had been. But after everything that had happened to him, he had started to lose his faith in love and started to think that he was just destined to be alone for the rest of his life. Toni remembered when they were kids and how she used to tease him for being so stuck on trying to find a partner and constantly trying to make everything around them appear as beautiful. She always used to tell him "Ewwww, that's gross" or "noooooo, I don't want to think about it that way!" But now, that Jughead was pretty much dead, and she would give anything to have him back.

"You know, Jug..." She tried to sympathise. "There are people out there who do care about you."

Jughead scoffed, finally putting down his book. "Is that so? Alright, name one."

"Me. Even though I'd never date you, since you're practically my brother."

"I mean besides you, Toni. Name someone, anyone, else... I dare you."

Toni was about to say something, but she stopped herself, pursing her lips and looking down at the floor.

"I thought so." Jughead smiled, but only to hide the pain that was boiling up inside him. "Just admit it, Toni, no one cares about anything I say or do besides you. My mom and my sister left to start a new life, my dad has pretty much abandoned me, the rest of the gangs hate me and I hate them, and it's blatantly obvious that the northsiders will want absolutely nothing to do with me. I've come to face facts, Toni. Besides you, I'm completely alone, and I probably always will be."

"Jug, no... Don't say things like that." Toni said, pulling him into a hug which Jughead clearly didn't ask for but secretly wanted. "Like you said, you're a hopeless romantic, and, contrary to your belief, that doesn't mean you'll be forever alone. It means that you'll find someone who loves you for you, and not just because you're a piece of ass, alright?"

Jughead bit down on his lip and nodded along to what she was telling him, only to give off the impression that he believed her when in fact he didn't. Despite his best efforts Toni could see right through him, but she also knew that there was no point in continuing this conversation. So she did what anyone in her situation would do: switch to a new topic.

"So, the serpents are going out tonight." She told Jughead, already getting out of her seat and grabbing her jacket. "Care to join me?"

Jughead shook his head. "Nah, I'd rather go to pop's and finish writing my novel."

"Okay..." Honestly, Toni wasn't too surprised by his answer. She opened the door to leave, but not before turning to face Jughead one more time. "Oh, Jug?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember these words, because they're important... There's still hope."


	3. ~"I saw you from across the diner"~

◇◆◇◆

It had certainly been a rough night for Archie Andrews. He had originally gone to Cheryl's house to have a good time, but it ended getting messy. They were all playing a game of seven minutes in heaven when the bottle landed on Cheryl and Archie, so of course they had no choice but to obey the rules of the game. Archie told her within the first few seconds of them stepping into the closet that he wasn't interested in doing anything tonight, but Cheryl was too drunk to listen. It didn't take long before the two of them became a hot mess of intense kissing and grabbing, which was only broken when their time was up. You'd think that someone of Archie's popularity would be used to this sort of attention, but he wasn't, and no matter how many of his friends tried to convince him that he'd hit the jackpot, it certainly didn't feel that way. And besides, Cheryl probably didn't even remember talking to Archie, let alone making out with him. So, under the noses of the other partygoers, Archie escaped the chaos and walked through the streets of Riverdale to the one place where he knew he'd be able to calm his thoughts. Pop's diner on the edge of town.

The neon lights seemed so inviting as he walked through the door, the warmth of the building immediately making him feel so much better. Just as he expected, the place was pretty much empty. He took a moment to choose a place to sit, but then something, or rather someone, caught his eye. A boy, around Archie's age, with beautiful raven hair that was mostly tucked away underneath a grey beanie. A laptop was open in front of him, giving his face a blue glow, he was clearly working on something as was evident by his fingers furiously typing away on the keyboard. Archie had no idea what had come over him, but his heart had started beating faster and his hands felt sweaty, he just felt like he had to speak to that boy. And so he began to walk his way slowly, almost as if he was afraid that he'd run away from him.

"Um, hi..." Archie managed to get out, mentally facepalming himself for picking such a cheesy line.

"Can I help you?" The raven-haired boy asked. "If not, go away."

Huh, so he was feisty. "I saw you from across the diner, and I was just wondering... Well, can I sit here? I've had a rough night."

"Fine..." The boy nodded.

Archie breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. "My name's Archie by the way. Archie Andrews. What's yours?"

"Jughead Jones. Don't laugh at my name."

"Don't worry, I'm not."

Jughead couldn't help but be slightly starstruck by the redhead that sat opposite him. Archie Andrews... The name had a nice ring to it. But he was a northsider, so Jughead had to try and stop himself from getting too close, but that was already proving to be quite difficult. And besides, since when did Jughead ever play by the southsider's rules?

"So what happened to you?" Jughead asked, feeling proud of himself for igniting the conversation. In his mind, this was his subtle way of rebelling.

"This girl who goes to my school got drunk and made out with me," Archie explained.

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"Does she remember?"

"Probably not."

"Do you even like her, you know, like that?"

"Nah, she's too classy for my taste. Actually, I don't think I have a crush on anyone in my school. Speaking of which, I haven't seen you around before..."

"Yeah, I prefer to come out at night." Jughead joked, hoping that would satisfy Archie for an answer. Although he and Archie had already formed a close connection, Jughead didn't think that it was a good idea to reveal that he was from the southside just yet. He didn't want to scare away this boy who he had only just met. This extremely good looking boy who he had only just met.

"You're a mysterious one, Jughead Jones." Archie smiled.

Jughead smiled too, a pink blush forming on his cheek. "Why thank you, Archie Andrews."

After that, there was no awkward stage, just a blossoming friendship. Well, a friendship that involved constant flirting with one another and blushes from both sides. They spent hours just talking, learning more about each other and telling each other random stories, but Jughead still didn't bring up the fact that he was technically a serpent. The two of them felt like they could stay there talking forever, but sadly they were brought back to reality when Archie checked his phone and realised that it was past the time that he should have been home.

"Damn it..." Jughead cursed under his breath upon hearing the news that Archie had to leave.

Archie bit his lip and looked down at his hands. "Well, if you want you can... No, never mind, it's a stupid suggestion."

"No, no... Tell me."

"I was going to suggest that you could stay over at my house, and we could talk more there." Archie put forward nervously. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'd love to." Jughead beamed, grabbing his bag and walking out of Pop's with his hand intertwined with the ginger's. "But if you murder me, I'll kill you."

"That makes no sense."

"Yes it does!"

"No, it really doesn't."

"It does to me!"

"Alright, whatever." Archie knew that there was no point in continuing this argument because there was no way he would win.

The two of them walked through the empty streets together, until they reached Archie's house. Jughead couldn't help but take a moment to wish that he had a home as nice as this. Archie unlocked the door and let them both in, leading Jughead up to his room and closing the door behind them. Jughead tried to take in the surrounding, but it was too dark to see much, the only light source they had was the moon. Archie should have turned the light on, but he didn't. Something was stopping him. Instead, he approached Jughead from behind and gently took hold of his hand, spinning him around so that they could face each other. They both fell silent. Neither of them really knew what was going on, but they could both feel the same sensation coursing through their bodies. Lust. Archie looked at Jughead's eyes and then down at his lips.

"Fuck it," Archie whispered, throwing down any barriers that were holding him back and crashing his own lips into Jughead's, kissing him furiously.

At first, Jughead had absolutely no idea what was going on or what he was supposed to do. But then he eased into it and started kissing Archie back. The kiss escalated quickly into a full-on make-out session, and neither of them cared. Archie took control and leaned Jughead down onto his bed, while he positioned himself on top of him.

"Archie... Wait..." Jughead spoke between breaths.

"What is it?" Archie asked, breaking the kiss momentarily. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, you're good. There's just something I need to tell you..." Jughead bit his lip anxiously.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No." Jughead shook his head. "Archie, I... I'm from the southside. My dad is F.P. Jones, which makes me..."

"A serpent..." Archie whispered.

"Yeah..."

Honestly, Archie was shocked. He had always been brought up to believe that everyone who came from the southside was automatically a bad person, especially the serpents. But Jughead wasn't like that, he couldn't be. Jughead was different, but if anyone found out that Archie had kissed a serpent not only would he lose his reputation as Riverdale's golden boy, but he may never be able to see Jughead again. They were playing a risky game.

"I won't tell if you won't," Archie spoke softly.

"Done."

Archie smiled, resuming the place where they left off. He knew that a lot was on the line, but he just didn't want to lose Jughead. Granted, he had no idea what any of this meant, but he knew that his feelings were too strong to ignore.


	4. ~"I don't regret a thing."~

◇◆◇◆

The sun rays of the new morning burst through the window, causing Jughead to finally wake up. It took him a moment to remember why he had woken up in a bed that wasn't his own, and then all of the memories hit him like a tidal wave. He was at pop's last night, minding his own business when this ginger boy approached him and asked if he could sit with him. And then they started talking, and it turned out that he was actually a very interesting person. But then, Jughead remembered this feeling inside his chest that seemed to occur every time he looked in Archie's direction. The only way that he could describe it was love at first sight, but surely that couldn't be the case. Love at first sight doesn't exist. Right? From there on out, his memories were a little bit blurry, especially the part where they made out. He knew for certain that it happened, he just couldn't piece together what happened after that.

"Good morning, sleepy head." A familiar voice greeted him.

Jughead turned to where the voice was coming from to see Archie sitting down on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh, hey..." Jughead replied in a soft murmur. "So... About last night..."

"We didn't do anything," Archie spoke quickly, desperate to get rid of the elephant in the room.

"Huh?"

"Last night... We kissed, and that was it. We didn't go any further than that, if you know what I mean..."

"Ah, right..." Jughead nodded. "Why did we, though?"

"Why did we what?" Archie asked.

"Why did we kiss?" Jughead questioned, sitting up in Archie's bed. "I mean, we've only known each other for a couple of hours. And I knew exactly what I was doing, I was completely sober. Wait, you were sober too, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Archie nodded. "I kissed you because I felt something towards you. Something strong. But I don't know what it was, and I can't even explain it."

"I felt the exact same thing, and it was so strong that I couldn't suppress it."

"You don't regret it though, do you?" Archie asked, nervously looking down at the floor.

"Regret what?"

"The kiss. Do you regret it?"

Jughead looked down at his hands and smiled, finally getting up out of the bed and walking over to where Archie was sitting. Before Archie could ask what he was doing, he felt Jughead's lips press against his own once again as he kissed him softly.

"I don't regret a thing," Jughead reassured him, pressing their foreheads together. "Do you?"

"No..." Archie grinned.

The two of them could've stayed like that forever, entangled in each other's arms. But then Archie ruined the moment by reminding Jughead what the time was.

"Crap!" Jughead exclaimed, rushing to grab his bag and jacket. "I have to go, Toni will be worried sick about me."

"Who's Toni?" Archie asked, watching in amusement as the raven-haired boy dashed around the room. "Do I have competition?"

"What? No! Toni's practically my sister!" Jughead said, making his way to the door. "Okay, I really have to go. Bye."

"Wait!" Archie stopped him before quickly scribbling something down on a piece of scrap paper and giving it to Jughead. "This is my number, use it."

"I will." Jughead smiled, the same pink blush returning to his cheeks.

"I'll see you again, right?"

"Sooner than you think. Now this time I really have to go."

*

Jughead practically ran back from Archie's house to the trailer, hoping and praying that perhaps Toni and the other serpents had stayed out late. However this wasn't the case, and Jughead knew it as soon as he walked through the door. Toni was sat at the table, still in her pyjamas. She spun around to face him, a sweet smile spread across her face. In a word, Jughead was screwed.

"Why, good morning, Nightcrawler." She greeted him. "Or should I say afternoon?"

"Hey, Toni." Jughead tried to avoid eye contact. He knew that Toni was mad at him, she was just waiting for the right moment to let it all out. And that's what terrified him the most.

"How was pop's?" Toni asked. "And by pop's, I mean wherever the hell you were last night."

"I have no idea what you're talking about... I was at pop's all night writing my novel."

"Jughead Jones... You are a terrible lier."

Jughead bit down on his lip. "If I tell you where I was, will I promise not to freak out?"

"I, Toni Topaz, promise that I shall not freak out. Now tell me where you were!" She said, taking a bite out of a doughnut.

Jughead took a deep breath. "Alright, so I went to pop's, like I said, and then a couple of hours in this boy walks in and asks if he can sit with me. So I said yes."

"You're an idiot."

"Hey, let me continue! Anyways, so we get talking and start to build a connection. Then it gets to the point where he has to go home, and he asks me if I want to come with him."

"You didn't..."

"I did."

"Jug! Why?"

"Because, Toni, I felt something. It felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest."

"Oooooh." Toni grinned, raising her eyebrows. "I see how it is."

"Well then please tell me, because neither of us know what it means!"

"No, no. Finish your story, Jug. Now I'm intrigued."

God's sake, fine. So we get back to his house and go up to his room and..."

"And then you make love passionately while the song from 50 shades of grey plays in the background."

"What?! No! We just made out! There was no lovemaking!"

"But you wish there was," Toni smirked.

"Shut up..." Jughead blushed.

"Oh my god! Jughead's in love!"

"Toni! Don't say that so loudly!"

"Oh my god, you are!"

"I'm going to go and die in a hole." Jughead's blush was just getting worse, and he knew it. So he covered his face in embarrassment.

"My little Juggie is all grown up!" Toni mocked, putting her hand on her heart. "What's his name? Something sexy?"

"His name's Archie Andrews."

"And what's his hair colour? Oooooh, and his eyes! What colour are his eyes?"

"He's ginger. And he has these deep brown eyes that you just want to dive into..."

"He sounds like a sex god! In a good way of course."

"Hold your horses. I'm not finished yet."

"There's more? Please continue!"

"This morning I woke up in his bed..."

"Scandalous!"

"Shush! Anyway, we talked and found out that we both have feelings for each other. And then he gave me his number."

"It's true love!"

"Toni, wait..." Jughead sighed. He was still yet to mention the one problem about Archie. "He's a northsider."

The room fell silent, Toni's smile disappeared from her face entirely. Her mind had gone blank for a response. On one hand she was overjoyed that Jughead had found someone who he had feelings for and who also felt the same way back, but on the other hand, she was terrified. Her best friend had fallen for a northsider. The rest of the serpents would not take too kindly to this.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Jones." She finally replied.

"I know..." Jughead ran his fingers through his hair. "That's why I'm begging you, please don't tell the other serpents. Although it's dodgy, this is my first chance at romance, and I don't want to waste it."

Toni took a moment to consider what she was going to say next. "Fine." She sighed.

"Thank you so much! I owe you one."

"Yeah, you owe me a meal at pop's and an apology for scaring me to death last night."

"Sorry?"

"Apology accepted."

*

After the entire afternoon was spent talking with Toni, Jughead finally decided to put the number that Archie had given him to good use. He pulled out his phone and sent him a text.

Jug: Hey. It's Jughead.

Simple and straight to the point. A few seconds later he got a text back.

Archie: OMG, you texted me!

Jug: Yeah?

Archie: I thought you'd just go home and forget about me.

Jug: That's proving rather difficult. ;-)

Archie: I'm flattered

Jug: You should be

Archie: Hahaha, you haven't left my mind either ;-)

Jug: :-D

Archie: Man, I need to see you again.

Jug: Same :'(

Archie: Don't worry, I'll sort something out

Jug: I'm counting on you

Archie: No pressure

Jug: None

Jug: K, I'm tired now so I'm gonna go to sleep

Archie: Goodnight, baby

Jug: Did you just call me baby?

Archie: Do you want me to stop?

Jug: Nah, I actually kinda like it

Archie: ;-)

Archie: Goodnight

Jug: Goodnight, daddy ;-)

Archie: OMG!!!!!


	5. ~"Everything alright there, Johnny Cash?"~

◇◆◇◆

It seemed as though there wasn't a single moment where Archie stopped thinking about Jughead. Even when Monday rolled back around and school started back up again the only thing that Archie could focus on was the thought of seeing the boy in the crowned beanie again, everything else just went in one ear and out of the other. Well, not everything. For instance, he couldn't help but notice the fact that everyone seemed to be staring at him, and he couldn't figure out why.He needed answers, and he knew that he'd get them as soon as his favourite blonde joined him by his side.

"Hey, Betty." Archie smiled. After the weekend that he'd had, he wanted nothing more than to feel her bubbly presence and hear her comforting voice.

Elizabeth Cooper was, without a doubt, Archie's best friend. The two of them had known each other before they even knew how to talk. They had told each other practically everything about themselves, like their biggest secrets for example. In fact, Betty was the only person who he had come out as bisexual to (apart from their other friend, Veronica). In the eyes of everybody else, he was as straight as a ruler. 

"Archie, hey!" She beamed, clearly just as happy to see him as he was to see her.

"So, listen... You probably saw this coming, but..."

"You want to know why everyone's staring at you weirdly." For Betty, finishing Archie's sentences was like reading her favourite book in one sitting. It was entertaining and it required zero effort.

"Exactly."

"I'll give you a hint: It's about Friday night."

Archie's heart skipped a beat. Friday night. That was the night in which he met Jughead, the southside serpent, the one who Betty would most likely not approve of. Wild thoughts started rushing through Archie's mind as if almost by default. Had someone seen the two of them together? Had Betty seen them kissing through her bedroom window and told the whole school about it? No, Archie stop. The streets were empty that night, and when they kissed Archie had subconsciously checked to see if Betty was asleep, which she was. And even if she had been awake, Betty wasn't the kind of person who would just tell the entire school that she had seen her best friend making out with a southside serpent.

Archie finally spoke. "What about Friday night?" He asked nervously.

Betty just rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, Arch? It's the only thing that this school has been talking about! You made out with Cheryl and now everyone thinks that you two are dating."

"Ah..." Archie breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, he wasn't too pleased about the fact that the whole school believed that he was dating Riverdale's 'resident it girl', but he'd much rather they'd think that rather than him kissing a southsider.

"So?" Betty raised her eyebrows.

"So...? What?"

"So, are you actually dating Cheryl?"

"Oh, god no!" Archie hadn't meant to sound that disgusted, but honestly, it wasn't too far away from the truth. He had never had a crush on her. Well, she used to be part of his and Betty's little friendship group before she drifted away from them to join the popular kids and eventually becoming their leader. After that, neither Archie nor Betty had spoken to her much. In fact, the last conversation that he and Cheryl had ever really had was about why Archie couldn't seem to keep a girlfriend. Other than that, they hadn't talked at all. "Of course I'm not dating Cheryl!"

Betty nodded her head slowly. "I thought so."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Archie questioned.

"Well, firstly because Cheryl has standards that you wouldn't be able to meet in a million years." That was painfully true. "And secondly, because you can't keep a lover to save your life. Before you think about objecting, don't bother. I have a list of examples."

"Really, Betty? I'm not that bad."

"You should write a book. Call it 'how to have someone break up with you within 2 minutes of dating them'."

"That was one time!"

"Still doesn't change the fact that it happened," Betty smirked. She thought of Archie as a sibling, and, much like a real sibling, she loved winding him up. Of course, it was all in good fun.

Before Archie could say anything else they were joined by their other friend, Veronica. She immediately started talking about something else which Archie and Betty just went along with, as the three of them walked to the cafeteria. After that, it was as if Betty had forgotten all about the whole Cheryl situation since she and Veronica started engaging in a conversation about something that Archie wouldn't even understand. So he did what he would always do when he was stuck in a situation like this. He took out his favourite notebook, the one that he used to write his songs in. Usually, the inspiration that he needed to start writing just came to him naturally, but not today. Today his mind had gone blank, he couldn't think of anything to put down, he couldn't even think about a song title.

"Everything alright there, Johnny Cash?" Veronica asked, noticing that Archie was struggling.

"Yeah..." Archie lied. "I just can't think of anything to write at the moment."

Betty's ears pricked up. Archie always had something to write about, he never suffered from writer's block much to the envy of everyone else. She knew that something was definitely wrong with him, something that he wasn't telling her. But she wasn't going to ask him about it now, not while Veronica was here.

"Tragic. Tell you what, why don't you go and clear things up with Cheryl. I saw her in the student lounge." The raven-haired girl suggested.

Archie groaned, clearly not sounding too enthusiastic about the idea. So Veronica pointed towards the direction of the student lounge as if to say "go", which resulted in Archie finally giving in, getting up and dragging himself away to find his false girlfriend. As always Veronica was right. Cheryl was sitting on one of the sofas by herself, probably posting something to Twitter, clearly not wanting to be disturbed. 

Archie approached her cautiously. "Hey, Cheryl..." He mumbled.

Cheryl looked up from her phone, giving Archie her signature death stare. "What do you want?" She asked.

"I just wanted to clear some things up."

"I was drunk. I had no idea what I was doing. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I regret it. I don't like you like that and I never will. Did I miss anything?"

Archie had no idea how to respond to that, considering Cheryl had summed up everything he had wanted to say to her in five simple sentences. The two of them sat there in awkward silence for a few moments before Archie eventually got up to leave, but he never expected Cheryl to react the way she did. She grabbed hold of his hand as if she wanted him to stay. The last time she had actually wanted Archie to stay was when they were ten years old. They had just watched the movie Scream for the first time, and Cheryl was too scared to be left alone that night. It was the day after that she started to become interested in ruling the school.

"You want me to stay?" He asked, sitting down next to the red-haired girl.

Cheryl didn't say anything about at first, and instead just twiddled with the ends of her long, flowing hair. It was her coping mechanism for when she was nervous. "I've been thinking..." She started. "About you and Betty and how we used to be so close before we... Went our separate ways."

"Are you asking to be friends again?" Archie's tone was hopeful. He honestly did miss her, even though he would never admit it.

"No! I just... I don't want things to be awkward between us, you know what I mean?"

"So... What exactly are you asking for?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." She admitted. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking recently and realising who I actually am. I guess I discovered that I feel kind of lonely without you guys."

Archie noticed a single tear roll down her cheek, glistening in the light. "Cheryl... Are you ok?" He asked, putting his arm around her shoulder as a form of comfort. 

"I don't know..." She sighed, wiping the tear away. "I just don't really know who I am anymore..."

Archie knew how she felt, he felt the same way when he was thirteen and he discovered that he actually liked boys as well as girls. Although he came to grips with himself pretty quickly, he remembers the pain that he felt. It felt as though he had completely forgotten who he was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered.

"Not yet." She told him, taking his hand off her shoulder. "I should go. My girls are waiting." Cheryl got up and sashayed towards the door.

Archie watches as his former best friend left the room, only getting up to rejoin Betty and Veronica once Cheryl had officially become a part of the ever-changing crowd of high schoolers that rushed through the halls. Although they still weren't friends, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Self-discovery can be a painful process, at times it feels as though your insides are screaming. Well, not all the time. For some, it's a walk in the park, but for others, it's a straight descent into hell.

Archie's thoughts were interrupted when he was pulled into the empty music room. He turned around to see Betty, her trademark look of determination plastered across her face.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"Arch... If there's something on your mind you can always tell me about it." She replied, referring back to Archie's lack of inspiration in the cafeteria. "That was a promise we made, remember? To tell each other everything."

Archie stared out of the window, or rather anywhere but Betty's piercing gaze. It was true, it was a promise that he had made. But if he were to tell her what was really on his mind she may turn against him, tell him that what he was feeling was wrong. He would tell her eventually, but for now, his lips were sealed. Both for his sake and for Jughead's.

"I'm fine." He finally answered. "I promise."


	6. ~"We pretty much skipped first base."~

◇◆◇◆

Instead of socialising, lunch hours for Jughead Jones consisted mostly of hiding himself away in the Red and Black headquarters, either reading or writing, headphones over his ears, the rest of the world shut out. Perfect. It wasn't the fact that he was unsociable, he was (kind of), but he would much rather avoid it whenever he had the chance. Besides, he had always found books more interesting than other human beings. That said, it seemed as though the other human beings didn't find him very interesting either. So, of course, he was rather surprised when his phone lit up with a new text notification. A small smile brushed across his face when he realised that it was Archie.

Archie: Hey, baby <3

Jug: Shouldn't you be at school or something?

Archie: I'm in my lunch break

Archie: Both my friends are girls so I'm hiding in the boy's locker room

Jug: Why the hell are you in the boy's locker room?

Archie: Because I wanted to text you and I didn't want anyone looking over my shoulder

Jug: Decent excuse ;-)

Archie: What about you: What are you doing right now?

Jug: I'm hiding away from the rest of the students

Archie: Am I allowed to ask why?

Jug: Do I look like the kind of person who likes hanging out with other gang members?

Jug: The correct answer is no

Archie: What about Toni?

Jug: She hangs out with the other gang members for me

Archie: Damn, she must be a really good friend

Jug: Yeah, she's awesome :-)

Archie: So listen

Archie: I was wondering if you would like to meet up this evening?

Jug: Archie Andrews

Jug: Are you asking me out on a date?

Archie: Maybe ;-)

Jug: I accept <3

Archie: Hell yeah!

Jug: Consider yourself lucky

Archie: Oh really? You accepted my offer pretty quickly ;-)

Jug: Shut up

Archie: What time and where do you want to meet?

Jug: Meet me outside the whyte wyrm at 7:00

Archie: Isn't that a bit dodgy?

Archie: What if someone sees us together?

Jug: They won't, trust me

Archie: Alright...

Archie: See you there

Jug: I'll wait in anticipation ;-)

Archie: Bye, baby <3

Jug: Farewell <3

The sound of the door opening snapped Jughead back to reality. Toni came through, sitting herself down on the chair opposite him on the other side of the desk. Although he tried to hide it, she could tell almost immediately that he had been texting someone. 

"Who was that?" She asked. "Was that Archie?" 

Jughead nodded, clearly a little embarrassed. 

That was all the information that Toni needed. She snatched the phone from him, giggling like a little child, running to the other end of the room as she rooted through the recent text conversation between Jughead and the northsider.

"Toni! Give that back!" He tried grabbing it from her, but it was no use. She had already found what she had needed to find.

"He calls you baby?" She said excitedly, reading through the messages. "That's so cute!"

"I'm going to burn myself alive..." Jughead pulled his hat down over his face.

"Hold on... You want to meet him outside the whyte wyrm?!" It was clear that Toni wasn't playing around anymore. "Jug, are you insane?!"

"Probably."

"You better give me a really good reason why you want to meet your sort-of-boyfriend at the serpent capital."

"I do... I think." 

"Well then let me hear it." Toni sat back down, crossing her arms. "I'm all ears, honey."

"Ok..." Jughead took a deep breath before he began to explain himself. "You remember what day it is at the whyte wyrm right?"

"Duh! I work there. It's Monday, so all of the men who are 35 or over are going there to drink away the pain, and all the teenagers are going to take a look at some stripers in order to forget about their calculus homework."

"Exactly, the place is going to be packed."

"So then why the hell are you going there?!"

"I'm getting to that. With so many serpents about, someone's bound to notice me walking over to the northside, they may even follow me there. However, it's not unheard of for the northsiders to come down here."

"Alright..." She nodded along. "I admit that's a good point. But how will you get them to not notice you leaving with a northsider."

"Yeah... I was hoping that you could help me with that." Jughead winced. He rarely asked people for help, so when he did, it was a sign that he was well and truly stumped.

"Damn, Jughead Jones is asking me for help..."

"Let's not mention it, my pride is already hurt enough. I need you to create a diversion or something."

"Asking favours are we?" Toni smirked. At this point she felt like his older sister, always supporting him and helping him to do the things that he couldn't complete on his own. And, of course, she loved it. "Alright, loverboy, leave it to me. I'll think of something, but you owe me another meal at pop's."

*

To say that Archie was nervous about stepping foot in the southside would be an understatement, he was absolutely terrified. All the stories that he had heard about this place kept playing over and over in his head as he trudged through the night, closer to the flashy lights of the serpent bar otherwise known as the whyte wyrm. Some people say that it was a bar like any other, while others say that it was a place where murderers got together to discuss their next killing spree. Which story did Archie believe? In all honesty, neither. There was no way in hell that it was a place where killers made their schemes (what kind of idiot would discuss their plans for murder out in the open) but was it any ordinary club? No.

Archie had never seen so many serpents in one place before, both inside and outside of the bar. They just seemed to be everywhere, putting him on edge. So he hung his head low, hoping and praying that no one would ask him about who he was or where he came from. The interior of the building was loud and sweaty, crowded with drunk people, making it almost impossible to spot even a glimpse of the boy that he was looking for. Suddenly Archie was distracted by the sound of glass smashing and two men yelling. He spun around, trying to find where all the noise was coming from until he noticed a large group of serpents crowded around a pool table. Curious, Archie cautiously slipped into the crowd to try and see what they were all staring at, pulling his hood over his head as a way to blend in a little more. Turns out they were cheering on an argument that was going on between the two men that Archie had heard yelling at one another. Although he couldn't really hear what it was about, it was getting pretty heated. He would have stayed to see how it all unfolded if Jughead hadn't grabbed hold of him and pulled him into a less inhabited corner.

"I told you to wait outside." The raven-haired boy told him.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't find you outside, so I panicked and came in here to try and find you." Archie explained, occasionally looking over his shoulder just to make sure that no one was spying on them.

Jughead let out a sigh. "You have a death wish, you know that?"

"You're not the first to tell me that," Archie said, letting out a weak chuckle. "Hey, what was that argument back there all about? It seemed pretty intense."

"Like my feelings for you?"

"Oh my god..." A smile brushed across the redhead's face as he pulled the smaller boy into a loving hug, still remaining on high alert. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too." Jughead smiled, feeling an immediate chill when Archie let go of him. "And don't worry about what's going on over there. It's just my dad..." He looked at Archie and then down at the floor as if he was ashamed.

Archie had to take a moment to process what Jughead had just told him. He, Archie Andrews, Riverdale's resident golden boy, had been standing only a few inches away from F.P. Jones, indisputably the most well-known serpents to date, for both the good and the bad reasons. Apparently, he used to be good friends with his dad, Fred, but whenever Archie tried to ask him about F.P. he would always give him the same answer: "F.P. joined the serpents when we were teenagers, and I never heard from him after that." Archie remembered his dad's explanation word for word, like an actor remembers their lines.

"He's been out of town for a few days and nobody really knows why" Jughead explained. "The guy who's yelling at him is demanding answers, and my dad is just telling him to shut the hell up. This happens a lot... I've learnt to just deal with it."

Archie nodded along, sensing that Jughead was anxious to move on to another conversation. "So, how are gonna get out of here without being spotted?"

At exactly the same moment as the question left Archie's mouth, they realised that everyone's attention had shifted towards another part of the room. Not towards them, but towards the girl who had stood up on one of the bar tables to make herself heard, Toni Topaz. She yelled to let everyone in the room know she was there, that she was about to say something important, or at least important enough to give Archie and Jughead a window to escape. 

"Everybody listen up!" She shouted, eyeing Jughead from across the crowd, signalling him that now was his chance.

Jughead nodded, grabbing hold of Archie's arm and pulling him out through the back door, right under the noses of everyone else. However, if he had stayed a few moments longer, he would've heard what Toni had actually gotten up to say. It wasn't random, it was planned from the beginning to end, she spoke about one of the biggest threats towards Jughead and the other serpents. The Ghoulies. She knew that Jughead would've loved it, but he was gone now, gone for the night along with his very own Romeo.

*

The two of them practically ran to Archie's car, letting out a breath of relief once they were safely inside. Once their breathing had slowed down to its normal pace, Archie started to fiddle around in his pocket for the keys so that they could drive away and forget about everything but each other for a few hours. But he was interrupted by Jughead's hand resting on his own.

"Arch?"

"Yeah?" Archie replied, taking his hand out of his pocket.

Jughead bit his lip anxiously. "Before you start driving, can we talk about something?"

"Oh no..." 

"What?"

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"No, calm down, it's not bad. I just want to talk about us, and the fact that this is the most confusing relationship I could ever imagine. I mean, we pretty much skipped first base."

"Oh right..." Archie bowed his head down. "Yeah, it is pretty confusing..."

"What the hell are we, Archie?" Jughead asked, looking through the front window into the dead of night, almost as if that's where he'd find his answer. "I need to know...."

Archie looked back up at Jughead, taking his face in his hands. "I have no idea what we are, Jug." He sighed, grazing his thumb across Jughead's cheek. "All I know is that I like you a lot, and I want to be with you."

Jughead let out a weak laugh. What Archie had said, it was the exact same way that he felt. He wanted to be with Archie, he wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. "I feel the same way." He finally managed to get out. "I want to be with you, Archie, I really do."

Archie smiled. "So... Can I call you my boyfriend?"

"I'd love that..." Jughead smiled back, a single tear of happiness made its way down his cheek. "But we can't tell anyone..."

"I know... Don't worry, our secret is safe."


	7. ~We're the broken beauties~

◇◆◇◆

Archie's car drove down the road which leads to pop's diner. The drive there was full of silence, not a single word was uttered between the two lovers. But it was a comfortable silence, each other's presence was enough for them, and words were not needed in this situation. Beforehand, Archie had told Jughead that he'd be taking him somewhere isolated, somewhere where they could just be themselves with no one else around to judge them. So, obviously, Jughead was a little confused when he saw the bright neon lights of the iconic pop's sign. Not that he'd ever turn down the opportunity to relax in one of their comfy booths, but if there was one place in Riverdale that was the opposite of isolation it was pop's. There was always at least a few other people in there, in fact, neither of them had ever seen pop's completely empty.

"I know what you're thinking," Archie said to Jughead, as he pulled into one of the parking slots. "And to answer your question, I'm only stopping here to get some food to take with us."

"Want me to come with you?" Jughead asked, already taking off his seatbelt.

Archie stopped him. "No, it's okay. I'm just worried that someone from my school might be in there, and we both know that they can't see us together." He sighed before placing a quick kiss on Jughead's cheek, making the southsider jolt a little. He wasn't expecting that, but nevertheless, he loved it. It made his heart beat just that little bit faster. "I'll only be about five minutes. Sit tight for me, alright Jug?"

"Whatever you say." Jughead shrugged.

Archie opened the door, stepping out into the cold air of the night, his heart immediately dropping when he spotted a familiar face looking back at him. Cheryl was sitting in a booth next to one of the windows and just happened to be looking out of it at the exact moment in which Archie had kissed Jughead, he could tell that she had seen them due to the cunning smile that graced her trademark red lips. He was stumped. Only a few moments ago he had promised Jughead that their relationship would be kept a secret, and now they had found out by none other than Cheryl Blossom herself. Archie took one look back at the car to see if Jughead was seeing what he was seeing, but the raven-haired boy was more interested in the music playing on the radio to pay attention to what was going on in the outside world. Taking a deep breath, Archie braced himself before entering the diner. He was going in there with the intention of ordering a takeout for two and explaining himself to his former best friend.

The sound of the radio playing and the familiar warmth that pop's always seemed to bring with it seemed to do nothing to cure Archie's nerves. He was so anxious that the entire diner could probably tell that he was feeling off, or at least Cheryl certainly could. She smirked as she watched him order his food and then approach her shortly afterwards, his hands in his pockets, clearly dreading the inevitable interaction that was about to take place.

"Hey there, Romeo." She said sweetly. "I didn't know you were into boys."

"Don't say that so loudly," Archie spoke angrily through gritted teeth, looking over his shoulder to make sure that there weren't any more of his classmates were in the room. Luckily, there wasn't, it was just him and Cheryl. "And you weren't supposed to know that, it's my secret."

"Your sexuality, or your forbidden lover?"

"Both."

"I figured... Don't worry, you're not the only one in Riverdale with secrets. I won't tell anyone about your sexuality... Or your little southside boyfriend." She winked.

"And why should I trust you, Cheryl?" Archie asked, causing Cheryl's smile to slip from her face. "I used to think I could trust you with my life, but now I'm not so sure. Not after you abandoned me and Betty to fulfil your own interests, which, by the way, she still hasn't got over. It haunts her, you can see it in her eyes. You hurt her."

"And there's not a moment where I don't think about it... I really am sorry, Archikins."

"Don't call me that."

"Archie... I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence. "Don't apologise to me, apologise to Betty."

"It's not that simple..."

"It's as simple as you want it to be, and you know that." He told her, watching as she looked down at her hands, letting what Archie had said sink in. "Considering there's literally nothing else I can do about this, promise me that this will stay between us."

"I promise."

"And you can't tell anyone about Jughead, not even Betty or Veronica."

"Jughead... Interesting name... Not even they know about him? Wow, I feel special."

The two of them were interrupted when they heard Pop call out Archie's order, signalling that it was time for him to leave. "Well, that's my cue." He said, already starting to walk away, but no before Cheryl grabbed his hand for what must've been the second time within the space of a few hours.

"For the record, what I said before was a lie. I knew you were bi from the first moment I saw you."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or...?"

"Whatever you want it to be. Now, go and enjoy your night. Don't get too wild though, like I would."

"Gee, thanks, mom."

*

Sweetwater river always seemed so much larger at night, when there were no people around to steal away the natural glory of the waters and the woods that stood close by. Tonight it was just Archie, Jughead, and the cool autumn breeze, as they lay there on the grass with the food from pop's placed in between them. It was originally supposed to be just one small box of food each, but they had both just ended up sharing the contents of the other's stash. It just seemed to come naturally. Jughead was the first to steal one of Archie's fries, and then a few minutes later Archie got his revenge by stealing one of Jughead's, earning him a slap on the wrist. Soon enough it just became a habit, Jughead would reach over and take something from Archie's share, and then, almost like clockwork, Archie would do the same thing to Jughead.

"I've never been out here at night before," Jughead admitted, breaking the silence.

"You haven't?" Archie asked, shifting slightly so that he was lying more on his side. "Why not? I would've expected this to be your kind of scene."

"That's stereotyping!" Jughead joked. "I don't know, I just remember my mom always used to tell me to never go into the woods at night by myself. And then, just to ensure that I'd do as she said, she'd tell me about these monsters that lurked in the darkness and that they would eat me alive if they ever saw me. I had reoccurring nightmares for a year."

"That's just priceless." Archie chuckled.

"I was six, alright?! What else would you expect?"

"I just can't ever imagine you being that scared."

"Good. Please don't."

"However, I couldn't help but notice that you were only using past tense when you were talking about your mum."

Jughead stiffened. "Oh yeah... Don't worry, she's not dead, she's just... gone. She left me and my dad a few years ago and moved across the country, taking my little sister but leaving me behind."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Archie apologised, sitting upright.

"Don't be. She's been gone too long for it to faze me anymore."

"Still, it's not okay for her to just leave you like that." The redhead sighed before looking out onto the calm waters that lay only a few meters away from them. "If it makes you feel any better, my mum's gone too. One day she and my dad decided that it wasn't working out, and then she just left. All I remember is how calm the whole thing was handled."

Jughead looked up at Archie before joining him in sitting upright, laying his head against the redhead's shoulder. "Does it still bother you?" He asked quietly as to not ruin the calm atmosphere that they had already created.

"Not really... It's all in the past now."

The raven-haired boy nodded along, closing his eyes, letting the cool breeze hit his face. Within a few seconds, he could feel the sensation of Archie running his fingers through his hair as he connected their lips together in a slow kiss. Their lips moved in perfect harmony together, as if they were just meant to be. Jughead couldn't help but smile at how similar they were to the characters in his favourite book. Two troubled souls, stuck in between an ongoing battle between the town and its people. The only difference was that they weren't going to die at the end, they had made a pact that they were going to get through this, no matter what. All they needed to do was to play their cards correctly, and then, just like their love for each other, they would be unstoppable.

*

Archie dropped Jughead off just outside of the trailer park to avoid being spotted by anyone. As the two lovers uttered their bitter sweet goodbyes to one another, Jughead couldn't shake a certain thought from his mind. His dad was back home. The man who Jughead hadn't seen in months had finally decided to show up again. There was one part of him that desperately wanted to ask Archie if he could come home with him as a way to avoid any awkward conversations that were bond to take place between him and his dad, but then there was another part of him that knew that this little reunion was inevitable, and it was far better to get it over and done with than to run away from it any longer. Besides, even though F.P. wasn't around that much, he was still Jughead's father. So Jughead waved goodbye to Archie, and watched as the car drove away until it was out of sight.

He took a deep breath as he approached the familiar trailer door, this time without Toni by his side. There was a short moment where he thought about reconsidering, but he blocked out that doubtful voice before it could have any influence over him. Still slightly anxious, Jughead opened the door and stepped inside, immediately spotting his dad sitting down on the sofa. But before any sort of interaction could be ignited between the father and son, Jughead noticed a figure leaning against the wall of the makeshift kitchen. His heart sunk even deeper inside his stomach when he realised that it was none other than Penny Peabody. Penny was F.P.'s, quote, "business partner" from Greendale, and she also happened to be thoroughly disliked by Jughead, which didn't bother her considering she hated him just as much.

"Finally." Penny muttered, looking Jughead up and down, earning herself a death stare.

"Hey, Jughead." F.P. greeted him, getting up from his sitting position to give Jughead a hug, which he accepted reluctantly. "Long time no see, huh?"

"I'll say..." Jughead muttered under his breath.

"So... How have you been? Are things at school okay?" It was clear that F.P. was trying, but Jughead just couldn't deal with it right now. He was far too tired.

"Can we talk later?" He asked. "Right now I just want to sleep."

"Sure..." F.P. nodded slowly. "But we're going to have to talk at some point, Jug."

"And we will... 'Night, dad." He murmured, making his way to his bedroom before even waiting for a reply.

The next morning he would wake up to the gut-wrenching news that Penny had set up shop in Riverdale, meaning that she would be moving in and Toni would be moving back in with her uncle, but for now he could sleep, and dream about a world where chaos was not the ruler and they could just be free to be themselves without anyone around to judge them. But sadly that dream seemed far too out of reach, almost like it would never become a reality.


	8. ~"Is that pathetic?"~

◇◆◇◆

To say that Betty was frustrated would be an understatement. There was definitely, without a doubt, something that Archie wasn't telling her. At first, it was just a suspicion, a theory without any evidence to back it up, but now she was certain. How did she figure it out? Last night he told her that he had homework to do, so he couldn't come over to her house. But when Betty stopped by the Andrew's household to check up on him, she was met by his dad who said that Archie had told him that he had gone out with Veronica. So, of course, Betty called up Veronica but was shocked when she told her that Archie wasn't with her and that she was home alone. Archie had been lying to everyone, and she sure as hell was going to find out why. Betty had been trying to call him all morning, but he hadn't picked up and Betty didn't believe that she was going to be able to get anything out of him if she confronted him face to face. But there was one more option that she was yet to try out, although she was incredibly reluctant to. She remembered that Archie had been speaking to Cheryl again, perhaps he had told her the truth. Betty shuddered at the thought, but there was really only one way to find out.

So here she was, walking up to the Blossom mansion for the first time in years but not for the same reasons that she did before. She spotted Cheryl sunbathing in the front yard, smiling slightly to herself as she knew that there was no one else she knew that would be sunbathing in autumn. She hoped that she could make this interaction short and sweet, no longer than it needed to be, so, taking a deep breath, she approached the redhead cautiously, clutching he book to her chest almost as if she was shielding herself.

"Cheryl?" Betty tried to get her attention.

Cheryl looked up, her face dropping when she saw Betty standing in front of her. Memories of their blissful childhood flashed past her eyes, just the two of them smiling and enjoying life together. Deep down, she wished that they could go back to the way it used to be, but she knew that it would never happen. Betty hated her too much to give Cheryl a second chance, so she had no other option but to continue acting like the evil popular girl that the whole school perceived her as. "Hello, Betty," she said solemnly. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me neither..." Betty admitted awkwardly. "But I came here to ask you something... It's about Archie."

Cheryl looked up at the mention of Archie's name. "Oh? What did you want to ask?"

"He's been acting strange lately, I feel as though there's something he's hiding from me. I was wondering if you knew why?"

Cheryl shifted slightly, immediately realising that Archie's reason for acting strange around Betty was because of this 'Jughead' that he had been hanging out with. She could tell Betty everything she wanted to know, breaking the vow she made to Archie. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Although she and Archie still weren't friends again, it made her feel warm inside knowing that he had put his trust in her for the first time in years, and she couldn't throw that away. "How do you expect me to know?" She replied coldly. "Me and Archie aren't friends anymore, just like you and I."

Betty frowned in disappointment. "Well, do you have any theories?"

"Who do you think I am? Nancy Drew? I thought that was your job, Elizabeth. Besides, if you really are his friend then you should know that the best way to get answers from him is to give him time!" There was a moment of silence. "Now if you don't mind, you're blocking my sun, toodles!"

Betty sighed, she knew that Cheryl wouldn't cooperate with her no matter how hard she tried. So, rolling her eyes, she left Cheryl in peace, little did she know that she had done the exact opposite. Now that Cheryl had seen Betty again it was as if she couldn't shake the thought of their childhood friendship from her already clouded mind. She missed having Betty and Archie as her friends, more than she missed anything else in the world.

*

The borders of Riverdale always seemed much more interesting than the town itself to Jughead. He had always dreamed of escaping. It seemed simple, all he had to do was just hop on his motorbike and leave. But there was always something that had held him back. At this moment in time, it was Archie.

The two of them had made their way to the edge of Riverdale's borders, a place where they knew no one would go looking for them. It was supposed to be a relaxed afternoon for the both of them, but Archie couldn't help but notice that Jughead seemed unnaturally quiet today. He was sitting down on a patch of grass, lost in thought. The redhead sighed, coming up closer to him and taking a seat beside Jughead.

"Jug?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You seem oddly quiet all of a sudden... Is it something that I said?"

"No, no, Archie! You didn't do anything wrong." Jughead reassured him, before letting out a deep breath. "Something is bothering me though..."

"What is it? You can trust me..."

"I know I can..." Jughead bit his lip anxiously before continuing. "As you know, my dad just came back from god knows where, what I didn't know was that he brought someone back with him..."

"Who?"

"My dad has this business partner called Penny Peabody, who hates my guts and I'm sure she has it in for me. There's just something about her that I don't like, maybe it's the fact that my dad spends more time with her then he does with me, I don't know. But, the worst part of all of this is that she's moved in, which means Toni's moved out."

"Oh, damn... That sounds..."

"Intense, I know..."

"And you and Toni are really close, aren't you guys?"

"She's my only friend from the southside... Actually, she's my only friend in general..." Jughead let out another deep breath. "I don't know, my life just feels kind of empty now that I only see her at school, it almost feels like I've lost a limb. Not to mention that I have to deal with Penny's judgy stares every time I get home like I'm not welcome anymore... I guess I'm just stressed out... Is that pathetic?"

"What? No, Jug." Archie reassured him, wrapping his arm around Jughead's shoulder. "Everyone gets stressed out, it's normal, especially in your case. Penny sounds like an utter bitch!"

"Yeah, that's an understatement..." Jughead chuckled slightly, making Archie smile.

"I know what you need."

"What?"

"Pop's burgers!" Archie exclaimed. "Why don't we invite Toni along too? I still haven't met her."

"Oh my God, you haven't! You need to meet her she's amazing! She's also dying to meet you too, she keeps looking over my shoulder while I'm texting you."

"She sounds awesome," Archie beamed. "I can't wait to meet her."


	9. ~"You've got a lot of explaining to do"~

◇◆◇◆

Finally Toni was going to meet Archie, and she couldn't wait. When Jughead sent her a text asking if she would like to join them at Pop's she didn't even hesitate to reply with a yes. She was currently walking over to Jughead's trailer, a slight skip in her step due to the excitement. She approached the front door, noting how weird it felt to have to knock rather than just let herself in. She knocked anyway, being greeted by the friendly face of F.P. Jones. Toni took a moment to remember the last time she saw him. It must have been a few months ago, and he looked a lot better than before. He actually seemed sober, and he was smiling for once. She had to give him props for getting his act together. Hopefully he'd be staying in Riverdale permanently this time.

"Toni, hey!" He greeted her, looking her up and down. "Something's different about you, but I can't put my finger on it."

"It must be the hair." Toni smiled. "Last time you saw me it wasn't pink."

"Of course! It suits you."

"Thanks, F.P.."

"you're here for Jughead, right?"

"Yep, as always."

"Well, come on in," F.P. said, letting Toni step into the trailer. "Jug's just trying to find his wallet and then he'll be right with you."

Toni smiled and shook her head. Typical of Jughead to lose something before they left to go anywhere. But before she had even stepped one foot inside the trailer door she could feel a pair of eyes glaring at her. She looked to see Penny leaning against the kitchen counter.

"So, this is the girl who moved out, huh?" Penny said with a sly grin.

"Yeah, I'm Toni Topaz." Said Toni, not as sweetly as she had spoken to F.P.. "I'm Jughead's best friend. You know, the one who you said was a lame excuse as a serpent."

"How could I forget... I see not much as changed."

Toni could not let her anger get the best of her, she knew better than that. However, she'd give anything to punch Penny Peabody right in the jaw. Luckily, her ticket out of here arrived in the form of her best friend.

"Are you ready to go, Toni?" Jughead asked.

"Sure." She replied, taking one last glance at Penny.

"So, where are you kids going?" F.P. asked before they left.

"Pop's, just us two," Jughead answered.

"What, like a date." Penny chipped in again.

Jughead sighed. It was a reoccurring joke in his family that one day he and Toni would end up getting together. At first it was funny, but soon it became harrowing, and it sounded even worse coming from Penny. But, then again, everything sounded worse if it came from Penny.

F.P. saw that the two of them were uncomfortable, so he changed the subject. "Well, you two have fun."

They nodded before closing the door behind them and heading to where Jughead's motorbike was kept so they could leave.

"I forgot that lady Dracula was back." Toni sighed.

"Yeah... And I wish she'd just leave." Jughead said, taking the cover off his bike before getting on. Toni sat at the back, holding onto him as they drove off.

*

Archie was sat at a table at pop's, nervously tapping his fingers on the surface. What if one of his classmates happened to walk in once Jughead and Toni arrived? The story about their relationship would spread like wildfire, and soon enough everyone would know about how Fred Andrews's son had been getting involved with the serpents. He knew that he should calm himself down. That couldn't happen now, considering everyone else was at school. Yes, for the first time ever Archie was skipping school. (How did Jughead do it, you may ask? He was able to convince his dad that they had a day off.) Archie wasn't used to this feeling of rebellion, the thrill, but he had to admit that he kind of loved it. He could certainly get used to this, especially if Jughead was by his side.

Just then, Archie head the familiar jingle of the bell on pop's door. He looked up to see Jughead entering the building along with a girl adorned with the same serpent jacket. Immediately Archie put two and two together and realised that it must be Toni. Of course, without thinking twice, he got up to say hello, greeting Jughead with a kiss on the lips and a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Arch." Jughead smiled. "You couldn't hold yourself back, could you?"

"Well, try being in my position," Archie replied with a grin.

Jughead only rolled his eyes at the redhead. "I see you haven't changed."

"Oh my god!" Toni giggled. "This is the content I signed up for!"

"Oh yeah, Archie this is Toni. Toni, Archie." Jughead said, stepping aside so that Toni and Archie could properly meet each other.

"Ah, I thought so." Archie extended a hand for the serpent girl to take. "It's great to finally meet you, Toni."

"Likewise, Andrews. Huh, you're a lot more good-looking than I imagined." She winked.

"Toni!" Jughead exclaimed. Archie's eyes widened as he let out a nervous laugh.

"Chill out, you two!" Toni reassured them. "I'd never steal my best friend's boyfriend! Besides, I'm more into girls anyway."

Jughead and Archie let out a sigh of relief, laughing off the awkward moment. After that, Archie and Toni immediately formed a connection. Their new friendship was undeniable, and it honestly made Jughead smile. Knowing that at least two parts of his life fit together was comforting, even if the rest of his life seemed like a shattered mess.

The rest of the day was spent having the most fun that any of them had had in a while. They shared milkshakes and secrets, gossiping about what the town was hiding and conspiracy theories. So many laughs came from that booth along with memories that all three of them would keep forever.

*

Toni had driven Jughead's bike back to the trailer park, while Jughead and Archie walked back to Archie's house. At this point, the sun had set and darkness had been cast over Riverdale, so no one was around to judge them. Archie held tightly onto Jughead's hand as if anyone at any moment could snatch him away. Of course, Jughead didn't mind the feeling of Archie's hand intertwined with his, if anything it gave him a sense of security. The two stopped at Archie's porch, making sure that all the lights were off before uttering their goodbyes.

"Today was fun," Jughead spoke quietly, not wanting to wake up the neighbours.

"Yeah, I loved hanging out with Toni, she was awesome." Archie smiled fondly. "But I especially loved hanging out with you, Jug."

Jughead smiled, a blush forming on his cheeks as he pulled Archie into a loving embrace. They really could have stayed there forever, but sadly Archie needed his sleep and Jughead needed to get back home.

"I guess this is until next time.." Jughead whispered. "Goodbye, Archie."

"Goodbye, Juggie. Be careful on your way back."

"I will."

"You'll text me, right?"

"As always."

And at that Jughead started to walk back home. Archie stood out on his porch until he was out of sight and then made his bedroom, taking off his jacket and sitting on a chair by his bedside window. Memories of the day kept popping up in his mind, causing a wide smile to form on his face. However, that smile dropped once he looked out into the night at the house next door. There, in the window directly opposite him, stood opposite him, stood Betty. Although she was dressed in her pyjamas, she was certainly not asleep and judging from the look on her face, she had witnessed his and Jughead's embrace. Archie's heart skipped a beat as the two of them kept eye contact for what seemed like an eternity until Betty pulled out her phone and started typing away. Not a second later, Archie received a new text notification.

Betty: Is this what you've been hiding from me? You've been getting involved with the serpents?

Archie: Look, Betty... I know this looks bad, but you have to trust me.

Betty: Bad doesn't even begin to cover it, Arch!

Betty: Who was that guy I saw you hugging? Are you friends? How long have you known each other?

Archie: I'll explain everything, I promise. Just not over text.

Archie: At Veronica's house tomorrow afternoon. I owe you guys a full explanation. And an apology... I'm sorry for hiding things from you guys, you don't deserve that.

Betty took a deep breath upon reading the last text. For a moment Archie thought that she would accept his apology until his phone dinged once again.

Betty: Apology accepted. You're not a complete idiot, and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me or Veronica.

Betty: Tomorrow afternoon. You've got a lot of explaining to do.


	10. ~"We're your best friends"~

◇◆◇◆

Archie could feel that his palms were sweaty as he walked up to the entrance of the Pembrooke. He knew that he shouldn't be nervous, after all, Betty and Veronica were his best friends, they'd accept him no matter what. But what if they didn't? What if they didn't understand? What if they left him? Archie shook the thoughts from his head. There was no point in worrying. If they did end up leaving his side then they weren't true friends, simple as that.

Veronica greeted him at the door. "Archie!" She beamed. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Glad to be here," he smiled, giving the raven-haired girl a hug.

"Come on in!" Veronica said, leading Archie into the main building. "My parents are gone for tonight, so we get the whole place to ourselves."

Archie followed her, looking around the place. Of course, it was well-organised as always. There was a fire lit in the fireplace in the living room, making the Pembrook feel more homely. For a moment he completely forgot about his nerves, that is until he spotted Betty sitting on one of the sofas, shooting him a knowing look. He froze, staring back at her.

"So," Veronica started, completely oblivious to Archie and Betty's wordless conversation. "Basically I was thinking that we could start with some baking, we could use that recipe that Betty found last week for those amazing vanilla cupcake and then we could - Um, guys? What's going on?"

They both turned to look at Veronica, who was clearly very confused and also a little scared.

"Archie's been getting involved with the serpents!" Betty blurted out without really thinking.

"What?!" Veronica gasped. "Archie, is that true?"

Archie ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "No... Well, yes, but no, not exactly." He let out a deep breath. "It's a long story."

Veronica folded her arms. "Okay, we've got time, Andrews," she said, taking a seat next to Betty. "So start from the beginning. What exactly is going on?"

Archie sighed, taking a seat. "Alright, so the night of Cheryl's party I left early and went to Pop's to clear my mind after she kissed me. I wasn't expecting anything to happen there, but then I spotted this guy who seemed pretty cool, so I asked if I could sit with him because I kinda wanted someone to talk to. So we started talking and it turns out that we actually had a lot in common, so, later on, I invited him to come back to my house and... Uh, well... We made out..."

Betty let out a small gasp. "Archie!"

"I know, I know. I don't know what came over me either... Anyways, halfway through he told me that he was a serpent, but for some reason that didn't bother me, I still wanted to kiss him. And I did. We met up a few more times after that in secret because we didn't want anyone to start a riot, and, uh... Now we're dating. And before you guys say anything, I can't just leave him because I feel this special connection with him, he makes me happier than I've ever been before. I know it sounds cheesy, but I think it might be true love. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner, I just didn't want you to freak out..."

There was a moment of silence as he waited for a reaction from either of the girls.

"So, nobody knows about you guys?" Betty finally asked.

"Nope," Archie answered. "Well, Cheryl found out for herself as usual."

"And what about the Southsiders? Do any of them know?"

"He's told his best friend, but she's been sworn to secrecy."

Another moment of silence.

"What's his name?" Asked Veronica.

"Jughead Jones."

Veronica let out a deep sigh. "So long story short, you've gotten yourself tangled up in a forbidden romance with a serpent."

"Pretty much..."

"Damn..."

"Arch," Betty spoke softly. "Did you really think we wouldn't support you with this?"

Archie raised an eyebrow. "But yesterday, when you saw me and Jughead together, you freaked out."

"Well yeah, because I was worried about you! You've been my best friend since forever, Archie, I just didn't want you to get caught up with any bad people. But now that you've explained everything Jughead does seem like a nice guy, and, so long as he doesn't hurt you, I completely and fully support you guys being together."

"I agree," Veronica chipped in. "Obviously it's risky to date someone from the date from the southside because of how the rest of the town will react, but you know me, I never play it safe. We'll help you keep your relationship a secret."

A large smile spread across Archie's face. "You guys... Thank you both so much!"

"... On one condition."

"Oh no, what is it?"

"We get to meet him!"

"That's it? That's your only condition?"

"Of course," Betty beamed. "We're your best friends, and if he's making you as happy as you say he is then we want to meet him."

"Well, yeah, sure, I'll text him. I'm sure he'd love to meet you guys."

"Perfect," Veronica smiled, standing up. "Now that we've got that out of the way, can we please have a fun evening like we originally planned to?"

Archie and Betty looked at each other, smiling before they turned back to Veronica. "Hell yeah!" They both said in unison.

*

"Okay, but in theory, a burger flavoured cake could work," Jughead turned to Toni who was lying down on the couch. FP and Penny had left for the night.

"Yeah, but it would taste gross!"

"Now that I think about it, you're right. That would be pretty gross."

"Exactly!"

"How did we even get to this conversation?"

"I don't know," Toni said and they both burst out laughing. "We're so weird!"

"That's why we're friends."

The two of them took a few moments to calm down, Jughead coming over to sit next to Toni, watching as she fiddled with the badges on his jeans. They had been there for so long that she knew them all off by heart. Her favourite one being the one that she had made for him when they were about fourteen. It was black with the words "peu importe" in white lettering written in the middle, along with a red heart pierced by a sword that she drew next to it. There was no real reason behind why she chose those words or why they were in French of all things, she just thought that it would suit him. And you're damn right they did.

"I'm so glad that you're happy again, Juggie," she broke the silence.

Jughead hummed in content. "Yeah, it feels good."

"Ever since you met Archie... He was the one light you needed to drag you out of the darkness."

"I guess you could put it that way," Jughead smiled at the thought of his boyfriend.

"I'm so happy for you guys... Kind of makes me wish that I wasn't still single though," Toni let out a nervous laugh.

"You'll find someone."

"Oh, shush!"

"No, I mean it. You'll find someone, I know you will. I can feel it."

Toni sighed. "If you say so, Juggie... If you say so."


End file.
